St. Louis Chosen Over Phoenix As Host City

By Doug Binder, DyeStat Editor

Corbin Smith Photo

St. Louis has been chosen as the host city for the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Games. 

USA Track and Field announced the decision Thursday at a press conference.

"This is a great day for St. Louis," said East St. Louis native and Olympic legend Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

St. Louis was selected over Phoenix, the only other city that submitted a bid to host the event. 

The Trials will be held March 25, 2028 and will be slotted into a three-hour window for TV between 12-3 p.m. Eastern Time. 

St. Louis was the site of the U.S. Women's Marathon Trials in 2004 ahead of the Athens Games, at a time when the men's and women's trials were held separately. That event was also held 100 years after the city hosted the third modern Olympic Games in 1904, the first to be held in the United States. 

“This is our future and our history coming together in such a beautiful way," St. Louis mayor Cara Spencer said. "As the first Olympic city in the United States, St. Louis really is the perfect place for this.

"We are dedicated to making this fun, making this safe and making this successful. This is a new trajectory for our city, our region, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

The St. Louis Sports Commission announced its bid to host the marathon trials in early January during the U.S. Figure Skating Championships at the Enterprise Center. 

St. Louis also hosted Olympic Trials for gymnastics for men and women in 2021 and for men in 2016.

According to USATF, the planned course will take athletes through some of the city’s most iconic locations, including WashU — site of the 1904 Olympic stadium, the world’s oldest modern-day Olympic stadium still in active use — and Forest Park, the cultural heart of St. Louis.

The route will also highlight iconic landmarks such as the Gateway Arch and Busch Stadium before finishing inside Energizer Park, home of St. Louis CITY SC. 

"We are proud to name St. Louis as the host of the 2028 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon,” said USATF CEO Max Siegel. “Throughout the bid process, the local organizing committee demonstrated the professionalism, vision, and passion necessary to host one of the most important events on the road to Los Angeles. We are confident this event will provide an exceptional experience for the entire running community and ensure the top runners are prepared to face the world’s best in LA.”